Audi has little interest in discussing the next-generation A8 at the moment. After all, the current model is set to receive a face lift early next year, which hopefully will add some style to a body that, according to a prominent designer at the VW Group, looks “like it still has the camo on.” We expect the V-8 TDI to receive a boost to more than 400 hp in order to distance itself from the six-cylinder turbo-diesel offerings from Mercedes-Benz and BMW; The A8’s optional W-12 will receive turbocharging to improve its torque numbers—at present, it’s down 87 lb-ft on the 760Li and 149 on the S600.
But things could really change with the next full redesign, expected to hit the market for 2016 or 2017. Audi sources tell us that the all-aluminum body likely will be replaced by an “aluminum hybrid,” which would include high-strength steel and composite materials. Moreover, the A8 could be shifted onto the modular standard architecture, which currently is being developed by Porsche as the basis for the next-generation Panamera and upcoming Bentley sedans. The next A8 could be the first post-war Audi sedan to use a rear-wheel-drive platform (with the exception of DTM race cars), similar to the rear-drive–biased Panamera 4.

The shift to the MSB platform is not yet decided, however, we have reason to believe that Audi’s new head of R&D, Wolfgang Dürheimer, will strongly consider the rear-wheel-drive platform. It’s stronger than the MLB underpinnings the A8 uses currently; it’s designed to handle even more power; and, not least, Dürheimer—as a former Porsche R&D chief and Bentley CEO—is quite familiar with the architecture. Audi’s front-wheel-drive approach to the luxury segment is a sacred cow that might finally be slaughtered.